Forget haunted houses and suburban graveyards–if you want true terror you’ve got to mine deep into the unknown, into the wilderness at the edges of our world. There you must confront strange, sentient environs, ancient dwellings that watch and react to you, places that conjure spirits who feed on your life force, leaving nothing but your bones behind.

This is an ongoing research project, but for now we present to you two of the creepiest and most terrifying places you could ever visit on planet Earth. Garlic and holy water will do nothing to save you in these places, and your prayers mean nothing…

Suicide Forest

Taken straight out of a scene from the Blair Witch Project, Aokigahara is a forest that lies at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Called the “perfect place to die,” it’s estimated that over 100 suicides are committed in this eerie forest per year. We say “estimated” because although the authorities sweep for bodies on an annual basis, the forest is so dense that many of the bodies remain undiscovered. And you thought your job was rough.

In fact, the forest is so thick that in many areas it’s completely dark even in broad daylight. This makes it all too easy to get lost among the evergreens, never to be seen again.

Besides skeletons, homemade nooses, and police tape scattered everywhere, Aokigahara is also considered the most haunted location in all of Japan. Some people actually believe that the forest is the gateway to another dimension. Others have reported hearing screaming at night and seeing eyes peering at them from the trees. If this isn’t enough to scare the socks off of you, the forest has recently become a hot spot for grave robbers running around looking for dead bodies to loot.

Did we also mention that Suicide Forest is also eerily silent? Wild life is scarce and the dense vegetation blocks the wind…we dare you to spend one night in this forest.

The Mines of Paris

Beneath the surface of Paris lies hundreds of miles of desolate tunnels that make up some of the oldest and densest sewer systems in the world. That’s not even the start of it. There’s some six million skeletons and thousands of unmarked crypts that reside there, nearly three times the population of Paris.

During the 17th century, the number of corpses buried in Paris’s cemeteries was so great that they began breaking through the walls of people’s cellars and causing serious health concerns. So their remains were exhumed from overcrowded cemeteries in the 18th century and literally poured into the tunnels.

Saying it is easy to get lost in these pitch black tunnels is an understatement. It is nearly impossible not to get lost. If you can find a way in, that is. Most of the pitch black tunnels are unmapped and there are holes that drop hundreds of feet. The mines are also listed as one of the most haunted places in the world. Visitors claim to have been touched by unseen hands, felt the sensation of being followed, experienced temperature changes and hysterical breakdowns. But maybe this all has to do with peoples minds’ playing tricks on them in the dark. This infinite tunnel maze also absorbs sound, making it unlikely you will hear somebody yelling for help, even if they are not far away. Or, worse yet, making it unlikely somebody will hear you.